In his keynote address at the American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Exposition (AIHCE) in Minneapolis, economist and futurist Jeremy Rifkin stated that the most basic human instinct is to embody relationship—that is, to be connected with others. He spoke of the “struggle to be,” and argued that it is imperative to reach out to and connect with others at work, in our communities, and in society as a whole, and to do so with science behind us. He talked about the spatial change that occurred with the first Apollo flight to the moon in July of 1969. For many, Rifkin said, it was a defining moment in life—there was a spatial change in how we viewed the world and ourselves, and an expansion of mindset way beyond ourselves.
In our consulting engagements, we often hear the word “silo” used to describe conditions within the EHS group or the overall company. In this new era, the concept of silos must be reconsidered, as they limit innovation.
We Are More Alike Than Different: Striving to Make the World a Better Place
The executive director of Greenpeace, John Passacanando, was a keynote speaker at the NAEM Forum. Many attendees remarked, as did Passacanando himself, that much has changed for someone like him to be delivering the keynote presentation at a conference of corporate EHS leaders. Passacanando began by emphasizing that “we are so much more alike than we are different.” Yes, his organization’s civil-disobedience techniques are different than those we use in our organizations, but at our core, EHS professionals are committed to many of the same values as Greenpeace is.
He spoke of the heroes who inspire and motivate his members—Rachael Carson, John Muir, Ed Abby, Martin Luther King, Jr.—and suggested that many of us have similar heroes who have motivated us as EHS professionals. He advised EHS professionals to tap into a greater force, one based on “injecting love into hearts.” Greenpeace and EHS professionals come from the same place, he said. That is, we bring love and zeal to making the world better, we care about well-being, and we strive for a state of grace.
New Partnerships
In his NAEM Forum keynote address, Ron Hart presented a list of daunting challenges for EHS professionals. The problems we face, he said, are huge. We must look for links and new partnerships with others, moving beyond silos. To navigate this new era, Hart argued that we must develop new behaviors and skills.
© Redinger EHS, Inc. (2010)